As free agency in the NBA officially opened for business at 12:01 a.m. ET, the Lakers were among the most active teams in reaching out to make initial contact with a wide variety of players.

L.A. has its own internal priority list, of course, but contacted just about any free agent that could potentially be of interest, just in case the players at the top of that list end up choosing to sign somewhere else.

At least one meeting has been secured, and while his joining the Lakers seems like a long shot, the fact remains that L.A. will get a sitdown with one of the two biggest names on the market.

Anthony and his representatives were one of the Lakers’ first calls Monday night as free agency officially opened at 9:01 p.m. local time. They also placed a call to the agent for Miami forwardLeBron James and their own free agent center Pau Gasol within the first hour of the negotiating period. …

If James and Anthony represented the Lakers’ Plan A, then either Pau Gasol or Chris Bosh – perhaps paired with one of the two aforementioned gems of the 2003 draft class – were the Plan B.

Anthony also has meetings set up with the Bulls on Tuesday, and with the Rockets and Mavericks on Wednesday.

The Lakers goal (i.e. pipe dream) is to convince Anthony and LeBron James to join forces in Los Angeles — something the Suns would like to see happen in Phoenix, where a roster much more suited to winning immediately is already in place.

From that same report, here are the rest of the players L.A. called in the early moments of free agency: Luol Deng, Trevor Ariza, Kyle Lowry, Chandler Parsons, Gordon Hayward, and Isaiah Thomas.

Anthony’s meeting in Los Angeles seems like due diligence more than anything else. The only reason for him to believe that’s a better situation for him than New York is would be because he trusts L.A.’s front office to build a contender more quickly than he does Phil Jackson.

The Lakers are not a team that is going to be patient with a long rebuilding process that revolves around collecting draft picks and hoping that rookies eventually become stars. That market and that franchise are always in win-now mode, and the way they handled the beginning of free agency is right in line with how things are traditionally done in Los Angeles.

The first few hours of free agency get wilder than a Las Vegas pool party — every team who has interest in a player brazenly makes calls if not outright shows up on their door steps. Usually it takes a few days at least for deals to be sealed — outside of the obvious ones with mutual interest — but teams start the process in the first hours.

Here is a wrap up of what went down when free agency opened (it’s not a complete list, but it will get you started for a Tuesday morning).

• Just a reminder that Carmelo Anthony meets with the Bulls Tuesday, the Rockets and Mavericks Wednesday, and the Lakers Thursday. As of now he has no other meetings scheduled. He has said he wants to make a decision early next week.

• Just how busy is the first night of free agency? Mark Cuban said he and the Mavericks made 20 calls to touch base with players they are interested in.

• One of the most active teams according to reports was the Lakers (they have a lot of roster space to fill). They reportedly reached out to, among others, LeBron James (no meeting yet), Carmelo Anthony (meeting Thursday, but more likely a courtesy than anything else), Pau Gasol, Luol Deng, Trevor Ariza, Kyle Lowry, Gordon Hayward, Isaiah Thomas and Chandler Parsons, as well as their own free agents Nick Young and Jodie Meeks. There may have been others. However, until the Lakers land a superstar like LeBron or ‘Melo they will only offer one- or two-year contracts, which is going to limit who they can actually attract. They called Kent Bazemore again, they can get him on that kind of deal.

• Speaking of Pau Gasol other teams that reached out to him besides the Lakers were the Mavericks, Bulls and Warriors. Gasol expects to let the Miami and Carmelo Anthony situations play out then see what teams make him offers. He’s going to be patient.

• Luol Deng has a lot of teams queuing up for his services, at the front of the line are the Heat, Hawks, Clippers and Mavericks. Like Gasol, he likely is in the green room until after the Miami/’Melo situation plays out.

• Paul Pierce has a lot of options as well: Brooklyn wants him back but Doc Rivers and the Clippers are making a big push (they need a three, Jared Dudley did not exactly pan out in that role). Other teams who called Pierce are reportedly Blazers, Grizzlies, Bulls, Mavericks and Rockets. The Nets plan to let the market set the price for Pierce then see if they want to match.

• The Kings want to keep Isaiah Thomas but it’s not going to be easy, as we told you a number of teams have interest including the Pistons, Mavericks and Lakers. Boston also reached out to him already.

• Spencer Hawes was contacted by the Cavaliers (coach David Blatt wants a big who can space the floor as he had in Europe) as well as Portland.

• Dallas called Chandler Parsons, the Rockets restricted free agent. The Rockets want to keep him, but the Parsons sweepstakes will heat up when Carmelo Anthony makes a decision and teams that miss out will start to look at their other options, including Parsons. Other teams that called Parsons include the Lakers, Bulls and Timberwolves.

The Heat would be an interesting fit. Deng is good enough that the big three might consider a pay cut. He’s a reliable defender, and his 3-point shooting would help space the floor. With LeBron playing more and more power forward, Deng would be an excellent fit.

The rest of the suitors are the usual suspects also chasing LeBron and/or Carmelo Anthony. I bet a lot of teams view Deng as the consolation prize.

If someone makes an early decision to bow out of the LeBron/Melo sweepstakes early, that team could get the inside track on Deng while everyone else waits out the superstars. In that sense, the Heat have a real advantage, because they can make a play for Deng while remaining in contention for LeBron, because only they can re-sign LeBron.

Beyond Miami, I find the Bulls’ interest particularly intriguing. I wonder how Deng feels about Chicago banishing him to Cleveland for half a season. If he gets over it, that could be a good fit. Deng and the Bulls clicked well for so many years already.

According to sources, among the players the Heat will pursue are veteran Warriors guard Steve Blake, who can play either guard spot, can knock down 3-pointers and is expected to draw interest from other contenders, like the Thunder.

Another pair of graybeards is also on the Heat list: Shawn Marion of the Mavericks and teammate Vince Carter. Both players have expressed interest in the team, and the feeling is said to be mutual.

The Heat would like to add someone in his prime this summer, including Marvin Williams, Trevor Ariza or Kyle Lowry. But the fact is, there won’t be much available when it comes to players in their 20s, and the Heat can’t go overboard with spending. DeJuan Blair is a possibility at power forward, while Spencer Hawes and Channing Frye are outside possibilities for the frontcourt.

Miami needs better support for the big three, and these players could push the Heat over the edge to the championship next season. It’s not as if they were that far off this year, and the won the previous two years.

But most of these players are not exceptional. They’re supporting players, and the mid-level exception, bi-annual exception or minimum salaries – what Miami would have available if the big three seek big deals – should be enough to lure them to a championship-caliber team playing in a tax-free state with great weather.

When Marvin Williams is a longshot, that says something about the Heat’s options.

The Toronto Raptors think they can keep him and are going hard with a big money offer, but Houston Rockets’ GM Daryl Morey and coach Kevin McHale were making a first hand pitch in the opening hours of free agency as well, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

It might be easier to list the players the Rockets are not going after. Plus trying to keep Chandler Parsons (who is going to get a lot of interest from the teams that strike out with Carmelo Anthony).

In some ways Lowry makes more sense than Anthony for the Rockets. He and James Harden would form as dynamic and maybe the most aggressive and attacking backcourt in the league. Plus Lowry gives the Rockets a good defender at the guard spot. One of the concerns with Anthony on the Rockets is that him and Harden together on the floor at one time leaves a lot of defensive messes for Dwight Howard to try to clean up.

Lowry has a lot of suitors. Miami has interest but the prices being bandied about — the Raptors offer reportedly starts at $12 million a year — is going to be too rich for their blood unless some of the big three take a massive pay cut.

Toronto GM Masai Ujiri is confident the Raptors can win him back, in part because of a big money offer that begins with at least that $12 million number.